Hootenanny at Home

Sage Brown   Website

fact

Bobcat

Bobcat

Found only in North America, where it is the most common wildcat, the bobcat takes its common name from its stubby, or “bobbed,” tail. The cats range in length from two to four feet and weigh 14 to 29 pounds. Bobcats mainly hunt rabbits and hares, but they will also eat rodents, birds, bats, and even adult deer.

Latin name: Lynx rufus fasciatus

 

voices

Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner

Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner

“Protecting public land is part of my spiritual being. It’s central to my identity to be in wilderness and to see it protected.” Durlin is proud to protect public lands for future generations, saying, “The highlight of my childhood was our family’s weekend outdoor trips. I look forward to my grandchildren having similar experiences outside in their lifetimes, and it wouldn’t be possible without ONDA.”

fact

Badger

Badger

Badgers are generally nocturnal, but, in remote areas with no human encroachment, they are routinely observed foraging during the day. They prefer open areas with grasslands, which can include parklands, farms, and treeless areas with crumbly soil and a supply of rodent prey.

Badgers are born blind, furred, and helpless. Their eyes open at four to six weeks.

Latin name: Taxidea taxus

Progress Toward Protection

You advocated for the strongest possible conservation outcomes in the Owyhee. Visionary wilderness legislation that would protect over 1 million acres of public land in the Owyhee is still winding through the legislative process.

Karen Withrow

Defended Wildlife Habitat

You pushed back against the illegal appointment of an oil and gas industry darling as head of the Bureau of Land Management— and it ended with his removal!

Shannon Phifer   Website

Adapting to 2020

Our community has become familiar with this scene— and more of you have tuned in to ONDA events than ever before as we pivoted to online events, just like this Hootenanny at Home.

Supported Local Communities

Your advocacy supported local communities in developing a management plan and public lands protection bill for Sutton Mountain.

Mark Darnell

Wilder Rivers Ahead

Thousands of you nominated rivers for Wild and Scenic River protection, and we look forward to many more miles of wild rivers in Oregon’s high desert.

Greg Burke   Website

Stewardship Continued

Just picture our staff filling the shoes of 700+ volunteers! You sent us to remote field sites, to restore watersheds and survey wildlife habitat.

Listening to the Landscape

Hear more about our conservation accomplishments and the desert’s magic hold in our short film premiere, “Listening to the Landscape,” featuring classical pianist Hunter Noack of IN A LANDSCAPE and ONDA Executive Director Ryan Houston.

Note: play in 1080HD for best visual quality. Closed captions are available.

And after you’re inspired by that story of personal connection, boogey down in true Hootenanny fashion to a performance from bluegrass band Honey Don’t.

Oregon Badlands Winter

Thanks for joining our virtual celebration of desert conservation! You can donate today to keep the momentum going. Thank you for all that you do for the desert.

Support Conservation Today
Hootenanny at Home

Hootenanny at Home

By on December 3, 2020 | Posted in:

Thank you for celebrating desert conservation with us from the comfort of your home! Here is a bit of what your support achieved this year.

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Behind the Lens

By on November 23, 2020 | Posted in:

Meet a few of the photographers who make ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar so damn beautiful. Tune into this free-wheeling chat and you’ll get a taste of the lengths they are willing to go to get their shots, learn tips and tricks for shooting in the desert and come away with few desert places to...

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Sage-grouse are down, but not out

By on October 13, 2020 | Posted in: In the News

October 13, 2020 | by Jeremy Austin, Policy Manager The numbers are in. Oregon’s sage-grouse population essentially remained flat in 2020. Following years of steep declines, the bird is dwelling at the second-lowest population level ever measured in our state. For nearly 60 years the scientific community has documented the decline of sage-grouse across...

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11 Inspiring Films

By on September 29, 2020 | Posted in: Coming Up

Join us on Friday, October 2, 2020 for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, presented by E2 Solar. This year’s festival will be a virtual, streamed-in-HD celebration of the best conservation films of the year and we can’t wait to have you join us! This year’s lineup will take you on a journey throughout...

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fall color steens mountain

Signs of Fall

By on September 18, 2020 | Posted in: Species Spotlight

Autumn is a time of transition in Oregon’s high desert. The cooler days and cooler nights bring a wave of rust-red and brilliant yellow hues into this generally sage-green and dusky golden brown plant life, and everything from butterflies to elk is on the move. Read on for more of the cyclic and seasonal...

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What Wild & Scenic
Looks Like

By on September 14, 2020 | Posted in: Deep Dive

Did you know that, in addition to rivers, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act can also protect creeks, streams and lakes?  Wild and Scenic desert waters take many forms and every drop of desert water plays an important role in the desert ecosystem. From mighty salmon-bearing rivers, like the North Fork John Day, to...

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colorful painting of the Oregon Badlands by Sheila Dunn

Inspired by the Desert

By on July 23, 2020 | Posted in: Uncategorized

Even if you are not an artist, you’ve probably wished you could somehow capture the way that sunlight paints the desert in subtle hues. For the six artists profiled below, Oregon’s high desert has proved to hold endless inspiration. Read on to get to know more about their lives, their work and how they...

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looking down on the South Fork Crooked River with purple wildflowers in foreground

Conservation Update:
Halfway Through 2020

By on June 17, 2020 | Posted in: Deep Dive, In the News

Taking stock of these unprecedented times and all that our communities and the country have experienced in recent months, it is difficult to believe the year 2020 is only half over. For ONDA, these events have highlighted the need for further reflection and evolution as individuals and as an organization. And it has required...

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Standing against
racism and injustice

By on June 4, 2020 | Posted in: In the News

Dear ONDA members: The recent, senseless murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd and the threat of violence against Christian Cooper have shaken all of us. The protests of the past week reflect the accumulated pain that has come from generations of racism and injustice in many communities across the country. ONDA...

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Six Unique Ways to Give

By on May 28, 2020 | Posted in: How-To

An inky night sky studded with endless stars. Quirky sage-grouse dancing at dawn. A soothing soak in a peaceful hot spring. Discovering delicate desert blooms. Spotting soaring migratory birds. Sage-green vistas that stretch out for miles and miles.  Scenes like these – which you can see in the photos below – are just a...

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